The Trudeau government picked a judge to lead an investigation into foreign interference allegations in Canadian elections..Court of Appeal of Quebec Puisne Judge Marie-Josée Hogue was chosen to lead the inquiry, according to government sources..On June 19, 2015, Hogue became a puisne judge in the Quebec appeals court. .From January 2014, Hogue was a partner at the McCarthy Tétrault law firm..During his visit to Indonesia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the media that Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who also serves as the minister for democratic institutions, would make an announcement about the public inquiry on Thursday..Before becoming a judge, Hogue was a partner at Heenan Blaikie LLP..Hogue served as a law clerk from 1988 to 1989 for Antonio Lamer at the Supreme Court of Canada. .Hogue's primary practice areas included corporate commercial litigation, civil litigation, and professional liability cases..She also practiced administrative law and constitutional law earlier in her career..Hogue's appointment follows an extensive search that took several months to find a judge to lead an inquiry. .Former Governor General David Johnston, who was originally tasked with investigating allegations of foreign interference, stepped down from his role in June amid allegations of bias..Opposition parties have been calling for a public inquiry for several months..The Liberals requested Johnston, before the end of May, determine if an inquiry was necessary. .Johnston's assessment was that because many issues were shrouded in secrecy due to national security concerns, a public inquiry would not provide valuable insights into foreign election interference..The Conservatives expressed outrage and alleged bias on Johnston's part. .They pointed to his past connections with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's family and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, which was established in honour of Trudeau's father..Johnston rejected any allegations of political bias and the Liberals pointed out multiple times that he was appointed as governor general based on the recommendation of the then-Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. .However, Johnston chose to resign from the position.
